Shadow Puddles
by HelloMrMoon
Summary: Unn...It's a fanfiction. And it's hard to write. Okay. Well, it's rated T for language and violence. c: Enjoy, yeah?


_Contractors? _The man in the mask turned to a cat, crouched at his feet. The bell attached to its neck jingled softly as it leapt gracefully onto a wall. _Hei, these contractors are big trouble. Even for you. _The man said nothing, only swept away from the cat, his boots making no noise on the asphalt ground.

"Don't worry about me, Mao." He tossed over his shoulder, although he didn't look back. The cat sighed, scratching at a spot behind his ear.

"He's going to get himself into deep trouble if he keeps storming off like that. He's such an idiot." A scruffy-looking man appeared, taking a deep puff of the cigar hanging out of his mouth.

"He is an idiot, but Hei knows what he's doing." The cat said, and then leapt away. The ring of his bell was the only thing the man could hear as the cat chased the night.

"Kid, you really gotta tell me anything you know about the professor. I don't want to hurt you. But I will if I have to." The man with one eye sighed deeply, shifting in his seat. The girl sprawled on the ground in front of him didn't speak, only shook her head. "C'mon, you've gotta know somethin'. I'm grasping at straws here, seriously. It would help me so much if you'd tell me just one thing." Dmitri, the man with one eye, took a long sip of orange pop, letting out a huge belch when he finally came up for air. His payment wasn't one he particularly enjoyed, but it was better than some of those he'd heard of. Dmitri gazed at the girl with his single eye, feeling sorry for the kid. She looked around 16 years old, with dark hair and even darker eyes. The level of apathy she exuded was amazing; it seemed as if she wouldn't care, even if he did kill her.

"Ah, well. Maybe I can make you tell me. I won't enjoy this, but if you've got something to say, you better say it now." The girl said nothing, so Dmitri tossed his can of pop away and stood, brushing off his expensive leather coat. Grabbing her around the neck with one hand, he shoved her roughly against the wall with one hand, knocking glasses of wine and cups out of the cupboard near her head.

"I'll ask you one more time, kid. Anything at all about the professor, you just tell me, and you won't have to die. You got me?" Still, the girl was silent, staring at him as if she knew all of his darkest secrets. He had to admit, it was a bit creepy. But he had to get the information out of her. She knew all about the professor's experiment, all about the side effects and the rest of his research. But before anyone could ask the professor for his findings, he was dead. He'd obviously been murdered, and by a contractor, but nobody could tell who. This girl was their only chance for information. He took her index finger in his hand, bending it back as far as it would go. He inspected the nail, painted a deep purple, chipped and bitten down. Then he broke it.

The noise of the finger being snapped made him shiver, but she didn't even tremble under his hold. Her eyes were unwavering, and he was getting pretty freaked out by the look shining in them. He had to get the information out of her. Otherwise he'd be killed. "C'mon. Not even a tear? I just broke your damn finger, kid. Don't you cry?" Why was she so calm? She couldn't be a doll. Marie hadn't sensed it. No surveillance specters, either. What was this kid? Still calm, the girl grabbed hold of Dmitri's arm, tugging the sleeve back. He stared at her in confusion until she bit him, hard. He tossed her aside, where she slammed against the wall and slumped down onto the floor. But his arm was shaking, glowing.

"What the hell? What's going on?" Dmitri shook his arm, trying in vain to get rid of the light that was erupting out of his arm. Distantly, he saw the girl stand, her head dripping blood.

"Contractors are fun, aren't they? I had fun. Thanks." She smiled, and teeth looked sharp, almost fang-like. And then he was in pain, screaming and writhing on the ground.

"HELP! DAMMIT, MARIE, HELP ME!" No one came. The girl watched as the man writhed on the ground, and then he exploded, his blood splattering everywhere. All that was left of him was his blood and his unrecognizable torso. The sight was nightmarish. His remains were splattered all over the walls and floor, and his blood painted the room.

"Fool." She pulled loose a can of orange pop, cracking it open and turning to face the man standing behind her.

"Have you been there a while, Hei?" She asked him, taking a long sip of it. The man in the mask surveyed the room, almost disgusted by the horrible smell. He was silent for a moment before he motioned to the girl. She followed him obediently, carrying the can of pop with her. They were both silent as they swept into the street. It was snowing. The girl was covered in blood and her hair was streaked with white snow. The man was ever silent, the darkness settling around him like an old friend.

"You killed him?" She only nodded as her can of pop fell from her hand and splashed into the freshly fallen snow. "Your payment?" He prompted her to speak, and she fell to her knees.

"Human blood." She murmured, her voice hoarse. A pale arm appeared from beneath the man's cloak. One slash from his knife and the pale was accented with red. He offered the arm to her and she gladly licked the wound clean.

"You chose this payment?" She shook her head as she lifted it from his arm, her mouth smeared with scarlet. The snow danced softly as she fell into the man's arms, her eyes closing. He rose, the girl still as he left the can of pop behind him, spilled into the snow like orange blood.

"What're you doing with that girl? You contractors are all the same. Doing things for your own benefit." Huang huffed, his brows drawing together. Mao and Yin were silent as they gazed at the girl in Li's arms. Her face and the minimal amount of clothes she had on were streaked with blood and it leaked from the back of her head. Shaking his head, Huang shuffled off, claiming something along the lines of 'I won't be involved in your idiotic schemes,'

"That girl…she looks familiar." Mao mused, curling his body around Li's legs. Hei lifted the mask from his face and shed his green-lined coat, draping it over his arm. Mao's bell jingled as he leapt onto the bench next to Yin.

"Her name's Cora. She worked with Pai and me for a while in South America. But she never used her powers." He explained, setting her down on the park bench and draping his coat over her like a blanket. "I don't know much else about her, but she disappeared a week after Heaven's Gate disappeared." He sat next to her, staring up at the sea of fake stars above him.

"She doesn't use her powers? Why? And why did she disappear?" Mao questioned. Hei shook his head.

"I don't have a clue." As he glanced down at Cora, her fingers twitched. She suddenly began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. She sat up, disregarding the blood dripping from her head. Her eyes were hollow and her skin was pale. Her bones were pronounced and gaunt. The only clothes she wore were a long shirt draped past her knees and a length of cloth wrapped around her upper arm, both smeared scarlet, along with her face and any exposed skin. Her hair was nappy and uneven, stained with red and tangled into a mess that hung down to her fragile collarbone, which stuck up out of her skin like a mountain in a valley. It seemed as if she'd break if Hei so much as touched her.

"You should lie down. Your head's bleeding." He said flatly, touching her shoulder to guide her back down. She shook her head imperceptibly, Hei's coat sliding off of her as she braced herself to stand. Mao hissed, leaping into her lap.

"I see you're an idiot, just like Hei. You have to rest. You might have gotten a concussion, and your head's bleeding everywhere. Hei, you should take her back to your place and bandage her up. " Hei nodded, silently, gathering Cora up in his arms and shuffling off. Mao sighed, resting his head on his paws. Hei was so difficult to look after.

She woke at dusk. The room was dark, but she knew there was nobody with her. She sat up, wincing as the movement tugged at the blood that had crusted onto the back of her head.

"Hei?" She murmured softly as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Of course there was no answer. She stumbled over to the light switch and flicked the lights on. The abrupt brightness made her head ache, and she was tempted to go back to sleep, but sleeping never got any work done, and Cora had work to do. The professor was dead, and she had to get his briefcase. She had no time to be wasting here in Hei's room. Although she felt a little lonely to leave the only person who had ever been even the slightest bit kind to her, she knew she had to go. The door was unlocked, as she knew it would be, and she tiptoed down the stairs, stopping to peer around the bend in the stairs. Four people sat around a folding table, playing cards, drinking beer, and talking too loudly. She couldn't possibly go out looking like a homeless person, with blood crusted onto the back of her head. People would begin asking questions. She turned, heading back into Hei's room. Working quickly, she rifled through Hei's shirts, pulling out a dark blue one. She carried it into the bathroom and started the shower. Locking the door, she scrubbed at her nappy hair, wincing faintly. All the blood on her face was gone, though, thanks to Hei. She ignored the faint thump of her heart as she acknowledged his kindness. Her shower wasn't long, and she toweled herself off, buttoning up Hei's shirt, which hung past her knees. Her hair was thrown up haphazardly, and she shoved her feet into a pair of boots hidden, half in the dark, in the corner of Hei's mudroom. Then she tugged open the door, thankful Hei hadn't arrived home yet. She tramped down the stairs, confident no one would give her a second look.

"Hey." Her head shot up, staring at the table directly in front of her. Her foot was on the last step of the stairs.

"Haven't seen you around here before. Moved in recently?" A man holding a guitar questioned, taking a long drink of his beer. His friends looked on inquisitively. She shook her head, her brain processing dozens of different responses.

"I was visiting Hei." She mumbled, as the people gathered around the table eyed her suspiciously.

"Hei? Nobody by that name lives here." A dark-skinned woman with orange hair mused, glancing over at a man with cropped blond hair.

"Oh, do you mean Li?" The man with the guitar cried, leaning forward in his seat to peer at her.

"I stayed the night. I'm a friend." She countered, taking a wary step away from them. Through the gaps in the stairs, she had seen a motorcycle, and that was what she needed, but these people wouldn't let her alone. Her hand clenched into a fist at her side.

"Ah, well. If you ever stop by again, come and say hello." The woman said, smiling pleasantly. Cora nodded, stepping away from them. She rounded the corner and hauled a cloth off of the top of the motorcycle, taking in its beauty. She dragged the motorcycle into the street, retracting the kickstand and stuffing her hair into the helmet. No sense in dying now. Mounting the bike, she propped it up using her feet and found that the keys were in the ignition. She flicked the kill switch to 'run', and squeezed the clutch, feeling the bike begin to purr underneath her. Turning the throttle made the engine roar, and she released the clutch, pushing off of the ground. Her feet went up to rest on the pedals, and then she was finally moving, although it was slowly. She twisted the throttle, and the bike sped up. Her lips turned up involuntarily at the euphoria suddenly rushing through her, and she marveled at the blur of green sweeping past her. Now all she had to do was find the professor's lab and get the briefcase.

Hei turned the knob of his apartment door, which was open. Bracing himself for what was coming, he tugged it open, flicking on the lights and setting down his bag in one fluid motion. The apartment was empty.

"Cora?" He called, walking into the room and gazing around. There was a hangar on the floor and a slightly damp towel in the bathroom, but besides those, his apartment was untouched. Cora was gone.

* * *

Ohohoh, geewhiz. I don't own Darker than Black. I own Cora. Um. Yeah. Well, that's it. Reviews are appreciated. And whatnot. Toodle-oo~


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